Proving doubters wrong drives teen sensation

Featured image: Deacon Matthews | @deacs.jpg

Any time he steps on an NBL1 West floor he is the youngest and smallest, but he's also the fastest with the quickest hands, is the most tenacious and it's remarkable what Marley Sam is doing at the Eastern Suns aged 17.

Sam first played in the NBL1 West with the Eastern Suns when he only 15 back in 2024 before his role went up a whole bigger level in 2025 where he was playing 16 minutes a game and delivering 8.4 points 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals.

Now in 2026, coach Aaron Trahair was willing to hand him the keys to his team as point guard. The results have been stunning form from Sam and the Suns making their best ever start to an SBL/NBL1 season in the process.

Sam is delivering 18.9 points, 5.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 steals while playing over 33 minutes. There's every chance he'd be the leading candidate as Defensive Player of the Year as a 17-year-old largely defending the best import guards across the league.

His offensive game is exploding too including a breakout Anzac Round weekend where across two games he delivered 64 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals on 23/44 shooting with 6/16 from downtown and 12/20 at the stripe.

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What Sam continues to do at 17 has him one of the more precocious talents in the entire country. Even under six-foot and with his slight build, in a lot of ways the world is his oyster already by the end of 2026.

There would be college options aplenty, but already as part of the Perth Wildcats Academy, he isn’t afraid to make it clear he wants to be in the NBL as soon as possible.

"I wanna be a NBL player," Sam said.

"College is an option but I got my head turned to NBL."

Summing up big role already at 17

It's remarkable to think that Sam is still only 17 and that in a league like the NBL1 where plenty of teams around the country bring in import point guards that Trahair has been willing to back in Sam.

After all, Trahair was a rising teenage talent before he started his own 422-game NBL career so it should come as no surprise that in turn he is willing to hasten the growth and development of Sam.

Sure, he would continue to grow and learn just from being on a team that features Joe Cook-Green, Terrandus Smith, Travis Fee, Jordan Simpson and Lee Thomas along with the experience and leadership of Reece Maxwell, Seb Salinas, and once he returns Rob Huntington.

But there's nothing quite like being out on the court to learn from that experience. There's no doubt that the big minutes and role that Trahair has given Sam is only expediating his rapid rise.

And Sam couldn't be more thankful and he knows what a privileged position he's in.

"I’m very thankful for Aaron for putting his trust in me and believing that I can perform as good as these imports around the league. It’s big shoes to fill but Aaron pushes me non-stop each week," Sam said.

"It’s a huge privilege to play at the eastern suns, when I was a kid I didn’t think st the age of 17 I would be playing those big time minutes I am playing now and it’s such a Honour to step on the court each week an get the opportunity to do what I love and inspire kids like me."

Using defence to stop being overlooked

Sam is a supremely talented player at the offensive end with the ball in his hands which has been on show this season with him averaging 5.9 assists while also scoring 18.9 points a game.

While not being overly tall and being slight, he has no trouble attacking the basket and going against the big bodies. That's why he has got to the foul line 39 times already in eight games.

But it's at the defensive end he's making his real mark. That's already had three-time championship winning coach Matt Parsons come out and say he could be the best defender in the history of the SBL/NBL1 West by the time his career is done.

The only thing that could stop that would be if his career takes him away from playing enough years in his local league, but it's defending the best guards on the opposition and trying get the ball back off them he takes huge pride in.

"I have a great time going up against big stars, I'm always being overlooked so I take big pride in my defence showing that, nothing can stop me," Sam said.

"It’s awesome getting a cheeky steal, knowing I’m getting under their skin motivates me even more, it gets the crowd going which I feed off."

Growing all-round game all the time

There wouldn’t be a 17-year-old player in the world who doesn’t still have areas of their game to work on and Sam is no different.

While he has no trouble getting to the foul line already, converting when he gets there is something that he'll continue to work on while currently shooting just 49 per cent at the free-throw line.

His outside shooting is only going to keep getting better too as he matures but already it's at a more that respectable 32 per cent on 38 attempts so far in 2026.

All in all, he embraces the hard work to keep getting better and to prove people wrong who might doubt him.

"I work on my game a lot, so when it comes to the games it’s nothing new, I've been called undersized my whole career," Sam said.

"So when I see a big guy it’s a challenge I’m willing to take."

Having experienced teammates

It's hard to imagine Sam being at a better place for his development than the Eastern Suns right now too.

That all begins with coach Trahair who not only had his own glittering playing career, but now is a well credentialed head coach having previously led the Geraldton Buccaneers and Mandurah Magic while now in fourth season at the Suns.

Then you look at Sam's teammates at the Eastern Suns and Jono Diaz, Huntington, Maxwell, Thomas and Fee are all well experienced in the NBL1 West and then there's 556-game record Salinas to top it off for him.

"It’s great having the elderly in the team," Sam said.

"I learn so much off him every training, he’s been around the game so long his IQ is elite."